Sandhan Valley Trek is one of the most enthralling descent treks near Mumbai, Maharashtra. The rappelling activity involved in this trek makes it an adventurous trek. The trekking trail passes through a narrow creek in between two rocky hills near Samradh Village. During monsoon season, the same trail turns into a pathway of a river and during the summer, it becomes a trekking trail. This Sandhan Valley Trek blog of mine will give you detailed information about this trek including a local guide’s contact in Samradh Village.

How to reach for Sandhan Valley Trek from Mumbai

By Road: You can reach Samradh Village located in Akole Taluka, Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra via Mumbai Nasik Highway and then towards Bhandardara. It would be difficult to reach this place if you are not aware of the route. You can opt to hire a drive and a cab who is aware of the route.

By train: Take any train in Central Line of Mumbai heading towards Kasara. The moment you get down at Kasara you will find a number of taxis lined up on the western side exit of the station. You can opt for any of them who agrees to drop you at Samrad (Charge INR 600 minimum). Take the number of the driver for any further journeys.

The Base Village: Samrad

It is one of the villages having geologically best location. The village is surrounded by great peaks of Maharashtra like Ratangadh, Ajoba Hills, Kalsubai, Alang, Madan, and Kulang. It serves as the base village for two of the ‘must-do’ treks around Mumbai namely: Sandhan Valley Trek and Alang-Madan-Kulang Trek.

Usually, trekkers reach the village on the previous night of the trek and rest in the restrooms specially made for them in the outskirts of the village. You can contact the guide who will arrange for your restroom and the breakfast for the next morning.

Two washrooms are constructed nearby the restrooms which are usually locked at night but can be opened on request in the morning.

The Trekking Trail

Sandhan Valley trek, unlike other treks, is preferred for descending the mighty rocks and the steep route usually filled with water in monsoons. It is said that after each monsoon season the pattern of rocks in the route changes.

Be ready to take bath in the starting of the trail as you will have to walk through a puddle around 3-4 feet deep. Changing clothes is not a smart idea as the wet cloth will only add to your heavy bag. The clothes would surely dry up due to body heat just in few minutes.

Sandhan Valley Trekking and Rappeling

The initial pathway is quite pleasant as the heat of the Sun doesn’t reach the creek-like valley. Thereafter, the most exciting part of the Sandhan Valley Trekking begins. You need to be ready for the venture of rappelling down a 50 ft steep deep wall. Once again, after a few minutes, you will have to slide into a hole and rappel down with the help of a rope. And again after a while, just before reaching the rest point, you will rappel down for the third time.

Is it Difficult to do Rappelling in Sandhan Valley for the first-timers?

I would say ‘No’ if you follow the instructions of the guide properly and ‘Yes’ if you are not confident enough. Confidence in yourself and your guide makes half the things easier. However, avoid joining large groups of 50-70 people in a batch. Ensure that the group you are joining has experienced leaders and are capable enough to attend all the participants in case of need. I have seen many groups wherein the participants had to take help from us and other trekkers as their leaders could not handle 3 groups of 30 in each.

After two successive rappelling, just in 5-10 minutes, you will be reaching the night camping point. Now you have all the time in the world to sing, play and enjoy the hot dinner cooked by the locals in the valley.

Note: You will need a guide to make arrangements for rappelling and required equipment.

Night Camping at Sandhan Valley

It is surrounded by hills and huge rocks. The people usually secure the flat stream bed for the night. If you wish to book tents, either you will have to carry one of your own or the rented one. You can book the one set by the villagers on a flat patch near the stream by informing your guide about the same.

Reach Mumbai from Sandhan Valley

You can start your journey peacefully the next day morning after breakfast. The simple route along the river will take you to Dehne Village within 2-3 hours. Here, you can ask your guide to make prior arrangement for the lunch.

Ask the concerned person to call the taxi person(one hour before) to take you to Asangaon. From Asangaon you will get fast trains towards CST.

Trust me, It would be an experience of a lifetime. Sliding and jumping off, down and to the rocks is different fun altogether.

Trekking Tips

It is advisable to carry a sleeping bag and a mat so that you can sleep in open. As it is a valley at a low height, it is not too cold at night. Thus, it is manageable to sleep without tents.

You should be reaching as early as possible to occupy a proper space; as during seasons, there are around 400-500 trekkers which might create a shortage of space.

Lunch for the trek day has to be carried by you. The dinner will be provided to you by the villagers/guide at the night camping ground.

Please carry your own tiffin for the dinner and avoid the usage of thermocol dishes as opposed to the prevalent fact, it is NOT BIODEGRADABLE.

Keep the Valley clean for the next batch of the trekkers and carry your plastic waste to the village where they have the proper arrangement for the disposal.

About Me

I’m an Indian traveller and fearless adventurer. Exploring local cultures and discovering the essence of the places I visit is my passion. I find the real joy of travelling in going off the grid. Mountains feed my soul and the verdant valleys enlighten it. And I love capturing the vistas that my eyes see in and present it in the form of words for you all to imagine. And my camera creates the ultimate magic!